FORTUNE — Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is disputing accusations that it fired Ellen Pao last year as retaliation for her gender discrimination lawsuit against the firm. Instead, Kleiner Perkins says in new court documents that Pao was terminated for “long standing performance issues.”
Pao originally filed suit in May 2012, alleging that Kleiner Perkins had discriminated against female employees, particularly on issues of compensation and promotions, due to their gender. She also alleged that the firm’s response to sexual harassment by a fellow partner was insufficient. Pao continued to work for the firm until that October, when she was let go. One year later, she amended her initial complaint to include a retaliation charge related to her termination.
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In its original reply, Kleiner Perkins had detailed performance deficiencies that it says were the root cause of Pao’s inability to be promoted at the same rate as some of her male colleagues. It reiterated those points in its revised response, but does not provide any additional information that would explain why Pao was fired in October 2012 rather than in, say, October 2011.
A trial had been scheduled to begin this coming May, but both sides requested additional time. A case management conference is currently set for January 29.
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